MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Main menu

Copywriting

Copywriting is about using words to get a result, whether to explain, promote or sell something. A professional copywriter should provide:

New ideas and concepts

Greater clarity

Persuasiveness and knowledge of words that sell

A readable style that flows

Higher standards of writing and grammar

Copy that is appropriate for the audience and project

Pictures, graphics and video also have a place. But only words have the power to help people really understand a message, product, service or concept, and only words can be indexed by search engines.

About copywriters

Traditionally, copywriters worked in advertising agencies, coming up with ‘big ideas’ for advertisements and campaigns. Not all advertising copywriters are writers first and foremost; they may have a background in design.

These days there are many types of copywriters specialising in many different fields. Marketing copywriters (like me) produce online and offline marketing copy, ranging from blogs, news stories, emails and web pages to brochures, leaflets and magazines.

An ‘in’house’ copywriter is a company employee. An independent, self-employed copywriter is known as a freelance copywriter.

Areas of specialisation for copywriters include medical, technical, recruitment, B2B and financial, to name a few.

What is copy?

Any text in an ad or on a page is known as copy. It applies to websites and online marketing too.

Traditionally in publishing, copy that is ready to print with all the amendments having been made, is known as ‘fair copy’. (Many of these amendments would have been typesetting adjustments in the pre-computer era.)

Thinking of hiring a professional copywriter?

Here are some points to consider:

Your business and your project

The first step is to establish the scope of the work, the timescale, the budget and possibly a performance target. You must be clear about your expectations.

What to expect from a copywriter

There’s a lot more to copywriting than just writing. Research is key. A good copywriter will want to know a lot about your company, products and/or service, as well as your audience and their motivation. So expect to be asked lots of questions, possibly in a questionnaire.

(They say the most important attribute for a journalist is curiosity. I believe the same is true for copywriters.)

What about charges?

Copywriters can be paid by the word (also traditional for journalists), by the hour or day, or by the project, and there’s a huge range in fees. Agreeing a fee for the whole project might work best for your budgeting, but the work must be clearly defined with time allowed for researching and thinking, as well as writing, revising and, perhaps, an approval process.

Please contact me if your project involves any of the categories below: